Mary K. Buck ( Knížková; April 1, 1849 – December 28, 1901) was a Bohemian-born American author. She was an officer of the

Michigan Woman's Press Association Michigan Woman's Press Association (MWPA) was an American professional association for women writers and journalists in Michigan. Founded in 1890, it was active until shortly before World War I, though there was an unsuccessful attempt to revive ac ...

Biography

Marjánka Knížková was born in Ondreor,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, April 1, 1849. Her parents, Josef Knížek (1819–1902) and Anna (Janoušková) Knížková (1828–?), emigrated to the U.S. when Mary was five years old and for several years, lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she went to school and acquired her knowledge of the English language. From New York, they removed to

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

, which thereafter was her home. From childhood, she was fond of books, reading eagerly whatever came to hand. English books were rare in her family home, but the town library, of which she was a patron, was well stocked. Early in life, she developed a talent for composition, especially of fiction, which was encouraged by her teachers and friends. On June 7, 1874, in Traverse City, she married Charles Kimball Buck (1851–1906). They had three children. She was a shrewd business woman working dailly in her husband's office. Mary K

Buck wrote much for publication. During the summer of 1891, she published, together with

M. E. C. Bates M. E. C. Bates (, Cram; August 25, 1839 – March 23, 1905) was the pen name of Martha Elizabeth Cram Bates, an American writer, journalist, and newspaper editor. She was widely known throughout the Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Grand Traverse ...

, a book of short sketches entitled ''Along Traverse Shores''. She contributed to the ''Congregationalist'', the ''Advance'', the '' Chicago Inter Ocean '', the Portland ''Transcript'', ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'', ''

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

'', and many other periodicals. Buck was always interested in the advancement of women. In 1901, she served as vice-president of the Michigan Woman's Press Association. She was also a member of the Woman's Club, the Ladies' Literary Association, and the city library committee. Mary K. Buck died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

in Traverse City, Michigan, December 28, 1901.

Selected works

* ''Along Traverse Shores'', 1891 (with M. E. C. Bates) * ''Songs from the Northland'', 1902

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Mary K. 1849 births 1901 deaths Bohemian women Czech emigrants to the United States 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American women writers Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century